Load discharging car



Jan. 3, 1939. A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR Filed June 13, 1936 5Sheets-Sheet l .IIIIII I N V EN TOR.

A TTORN E Y Jan. 3, 1939. A. CAMPBELL 2,142,236

LOAD DISCHARGING CAR Filed June 13,' 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet g \k l@ :a o@il i#gl;

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ATTORNEY Jan. 3, 1939. A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR v Filed June l5,1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 3, 1939. A. CAMPBELL LOAD DISCHARGING CAR Filed June 13, 1936 5Sheets-Sheet 4 R. 0 m m N A TTORNEY.

Jan. 3, 1939. A. CAMPBELL I LOAD DISCHARGING CAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledJune l5, 1956 ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT. GFFICE LOAD DISCHARGING CARApplication June 13,

11 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in load discharging cars.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved load discharging carof a type requiring tightly fitting doors, for the hauling of bulkmaterial such as cement, which under certain conditions is free rollingand under other conditions will arch and pack very tightly above thedischarge openings and can only be discharged through bottonioutletsafter the arch has been ruptured. s

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved sliding door orgate, and operating means therefor whereby the door may be convenientlyoperated and controlled from the side of the car.

Still another object of my invention'resides in the arrangement ofhoppers and sloping oor sheets in relation to discharge outlets,wherebythe flow of material through the outlets may be controlled and thepossibility of the material arching in the outlets reduced to a minimum.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for holding theload against leakage while the car is in transit and to provideprotection against the entrance of foreign substances such as wind,moisture, cinders, etc., adjacent the hopper door and openings.

A further object is to provide a frame for the hopper door, which can bemanufactured at a reduced cost by use of rolled parts or members shapedand assembled for the purpose.

A further object is to provide certain features and details ofconstruction, such as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter andclaimed.

My invention will appear more fully from the following description andthe accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of theinvention.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side view of a sufiicient portion of a hopper car to includefour hoppers in the bottom thereof, two of the hoppers being illustratedas disposed, one on each side of the transverse center of the car; theleft-hand hopper frame and door are shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the car illustrated in Fig. l, showingthe hoppers disposed on each side of the longitudinal center of the car;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical detail section through the hopper doorand frame, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view in elevation, of the portion of thedoor frame and mechanism 1936, Serial No. 85,133

as seen from the line 4 4 of Fig. 9, looking in the direction of thearrows;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view similar to a portion of Fig. 3,illustrating the door in retracted or open position within its trame:

Fig. 6 is a detail section substantially on the line 6 8 of Fig. .4.;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse detail section substantially on theline 1-1 of Fig'. l;

Fig. 8 is a detail section on the line 8-8 of Fig. '1:

Fig. 9 is an enlarged transverse vertical section on the line 9-9 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the door frame parts, door anddoor-opening and locking means, in their assembled relation, the doorbeing shown in closed and locking position;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view in elevation, of the swinging shieldor shutter;

Fig. 12 is an end view of the shield shown in Fig. 11; and

Fig. 13 is a detail vertical section substantially on the line I3--l3 ofFig. 11.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, A indicates the side wallsof the car. Each of the hoppers are made up of outer and inner sidewalls B and C respectively, and end or cross walls D and E respectively.The inner side walls C are substantially vertical, and the outer sidewalls B slope downwardly and inwardly. The end walls D and E are bothsloping, the walls D sloping downwardly. These hopper walls terminate attheir lower ends in a discharge opening which is surrounded by a frameillustrated generally in Fig. 10, in which the door or gate F isarranged to slide in a direction longitudinally of the car. Thelongitudinal direction of the movement is much preferable, but it willbe obvious that the parts may be arranged to provide for transversemovement of the doors if desired, without departing from the invention.

'I'he door frame is rectangular in form and is made up of inner andouter side members G and H respectively, and cross members J and Krespectively. The cross member K, however, is made in the two parts K1and K2 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5), spaced apart to provide therebetween anopening through which the hopper door F slides in its movement to andfrom closed position. These parts K1 and K2 of the cross member arejoined at their ends to the side frame members G and H so as to maintainthem in their proper relation. The side frame members G and H extendlongitudinally beyond the cross member K to provide support for thesliding door F throughout its entire movement from closed to openposition, and the ends of these extensions G1 and G2 are connected by amember Gf which is L-shaped in cross section and which acts as a bracefor the frame extensions and also as a limit stop for the sliding doorin its opening movement.

The hoppers are made as large as possible consistent with the provisionof the propex` slope of the walls thereof for the easy flow of thematerial. The arrangement and construction of the hoppers is such as tominimize the packing of the material in the bins above the outletopenings, due to arching. One of the difficulties encountered inconnection with the handling of bulk cement and similar material, is dueto the fact that the material flows very freely when first loaded, andtherefore provision is to be made for the prevention of leakage and forrestricting the flow in the desired quantities. On the other hand, whenthe material has been hauled over a long distance, there is a tendencyfor the lading to arch and pack in the bins, thereby necessitating theuse of large openings and the application of external force to initiatethe free ow of the material'. The use of large discharge outlets,however, is not conducive to a proper control of the material as itissues from the outlets, and I have therefore embodied in myconstruction features of the hoppers and door opening which are such asto provide the restricted outlets where free flow of material isdesiredgand also minimize the liability for the material to arch in thehoppers above the openings. It will be noted that I retain a dischargeoutlet of standard dimension but having a comparatively small area, andI dispose the control door on a higher plane and at a location where theopening is of such increased size to break the arch. However, the sizeof the actual opening through which the material leaves the hopper, issmaller than the area of the opening in the plane of the door, the sizeof this opening being conned by certain limitations to that whichprovides for the discharging of the load into a receptacle which isattached to the frame. For this reason the members of the frame aresloped to correspond to the slope of the hopper walls to which the frameis attached, and the portion of the frame below the plane of the slidingdoor is provided with means by which a suitable receptacle can beattached to the frame. For this -purpose the lower margin of the framemembers are formed to receive a suitable receptacle. The inner member Ghas a slot 8 formed on its inner wall, and the part K2 of the crossmember has asimilar slot 9 formed therein, whereas the outer member Hhas an outwardly turned flange I and the cross frame member J has aflange II to provide suitable means for attaching the receptacle to thedoor frame. The inner and outer longitudinal side frame members areformed, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, to provide ledges or shoulders I2 andI3 on their inside walls. These ledges serve to support the marginaledges of the door F and provide surfaces upon which the door can freelyslide. In the inner` frame member G portion thereof, the ledge I 2 isoffset inwardly to provide an upper shoulder I4 to prevent any upwardmovement of the door. In the case of the outer frame member H, however,the lower margin I5 of the sloping wall B of the hopper overhangs theedge of the door and serves the same purpose of limiting or preventingupward movement of the door. Above these ledges the inner and outer sideframe members and the cross frame member J are formed with anges whichare suitably attached, preferably by riveting, to the respective hoppersheets or walls, the

/flange of the inner frame member G being vertical and the flanges ofthe outer frame member H and the cross member J being inclined toconform to the slope of the hopper sheets. The cross member J of theframe is likewise formed to provide a ledge I6 which supports theforward or leading edge of the door when the door is in closed position,as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 8.

The part K2 of the cross 4member K has al horizontal flange I1 whichforms the lower margin of the slot or opening I8 through which the doormoves and supports the underside of the door. 'Ihe upper part K1 of thecross member K is formed as an angle member, and one of its walls formsa sloping flange corresponding to the hopper sheet to which it isattached. The lower edge of this flange forms the upper margin of theslot I8 through which the door moves.

The upper surface of the door carries a raised ridge I9 extending acrossthe door and engaging the lower edge of the sloping wall of the part K1to provide a limit stop to the closing movement of the door and at thesame time to provide a seal for the door slot when the door is in closedposition.

The underside of the door is provided with a series of teeth 20 whichextend transversely of the door either the full width of the door or asuilicient length for the purpose as desired. The door is actuated bypinions 2| which engage the teeth 20 and which are carried upon atransverse shaft 22. The shaft is square in section but car ries roundbushings 23 at its opposite ends, which are journaled in suitablebearings 24 secured to the inner and outer door frame members G and H.The outer end of the shaft carries a socket mem ber 25 having a hole 26into which a bar can be inserted for turning the shaft to thereby movcthe door in either direction.

In order to seal the door opening or slot I8 against the entrance ofdirt, moisture, cinders, etc., after the door is in closed position, Iprovide a swinging shield or shutter member 21 which extendstransversely of the frame and fills in the space between the plane ofthe under surface of the door and the angle member K1 of the cross framemember K, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 to 6. This shield consists ofa plate member the upper margin 28 of which is rounded to rotate in theinner corner formed by the angle of the walls of the part K1. 'Ihebearings for this swinging shield are formed by clips 29 which areriveted to the cross member part K1 and which extend through slots inthe shield and support the shield for swinging movement. The lowermargin of this shield is beveled as at 30 to conform to the bevel at theedge of the door. The shield normally occupies a substantially verticalposition immediately behind the margin of the door. In opening, as thedoor starts moving, the shield is swung by the door and rides up on theupper surface of the door, a shoe projection 3| being provided. Thisshoe is formed to hold the shield at the proper angle so that it willnot bind or otherwise interfere with the closing movement of the door.In the closing movement of the door, the shield rides upon the uppersurface of the door, but as the door reaches its closed position theshield swings downwardly and follows in behind the margin of the door toclose the opening. 'Ihis shield also forms part of a locking device forlocking the door in closed position. As shown more clearly in Figs. 4, 6and 9. the shield adjacent its outer end carries an extension 32 whichis adapted to be engaged by a locking dog 33. This locking dog ispivotally mounted at 34 on a casting 33 which is attached to the framemember, so that the dog can be swung into and out of its lockingposition. The parts are so arranged that when the door is in its closedposition and the shield is in closed or vertical position, the dog canbe swung about its pivot downwardly into engagement with the extension32 and thus lock the shield and thereby the door against movement. Byswinging the dog upwardly out of the path of the extension 32, theshield, and hence the door, can be unlocked. The locking dog carries alateral extension 36 which engages the top edge of the outer framemember H and serves as a limit stop for the dog in both of itspositions, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4.

The frame member H has a key-shaped slot 31 'in a position correspondingto the locking position of the dog, and the dog has a corresponding slotwhich registers with the slot 31 when the dog is in locking position,and the locking pin 33 is adapted to be inserted through theseregistered slots to lock the dog against movement. This locking pin hasa suitable head 39 at one end, and at its other end a lug 40 whichpasses through the registered key slots and holds the pin againstdisplacement. This lug has a slot for the usual car seal.

The forward or leading margin of the door is beveled as at to provide anupwardly sloping surface and a comparatively sharp edge for the door.This beveled surface extends across the door to points adjacent the sideedges of the door, and at these points the side edges, at the extremefront edge of the door, Figs. 3, 4, and l0, are inwardly beveled as at46. The purpose of this arrangement is to displace during the closingmovement of the door any material which may have lodged on thedoor-supporting ledges I2, I3 and I6, thereby preventing this materialfrom interfering with the normal free movement of the door. This bevelededge is at all times in contact with the load, and as the doorapproaches the closed position the formation of the edge of thel dooreases the material upward along the sloping oor of the hopper end wall.It will be -noted that the angle of the bevel 45, with relation to theslope of the wan of the hopper, is snghuy in excess of 90, thusproviding for the easement of the material in advance of the door andpreventing undue packing of the lading at the ends of the ledges orunder the door. It will also be not-ed that the vertical inwardlydirected bevels 46 act, as the door moves, to direct the materialinwardly from the vertical walls of the ledges. In order to further easethe movement of the material which the edge of the door scrapes from thesupporting ledges, there is provided (Fig. 8) grooves 41 in the innerwalls of the frame members G and H, into which the material is moved.These grooves are located at the end portion of the closing movement ofthe door and provide definite relief for this portion of the doormovement.

I claim:

1. In a. railway car, the combination with a discharging hopper, asliding door at the lower portion adapted to close the opening, saidhopper having means forming a slot through which said door slides, aswinging shield positioned adjacent said slot for preventing dust, rainor moisture from reaching the load through said slot in the closedposition of said door, said shield having means engageable by the doorto swing the shield when the door is moved to open position, means forlocking said shield and door in closed position, said means including apivotally mounted element having a portion adapted to be swung intoengagement with said shield, and means for locking said pivotal element.

2. In a railway car having a discharging hopper, a frame adapted to formthe discharge opening of said hopper and presenting in a self-containedunit a funnel-shape frame having flanges on four sides for attachment tothe hopper sheets. said frame having a sliding door and runways for saidsliding door; rack and pinion means for moving the door, including anoperating sha. for rotating the pinions; bearings for the shaft; aswinging shield for preventing the entrance of wind, moisture and dustand abutting the outer edge of said door, means engageable by the doorwhen moved to open position for swinging said shield, and a pivotallocking member adjacent the swinging shield member adapted to engage theshield member and hold it in position against movement by the door whenthe latter is in closed position.

3. In a railway car the combination with a discharging hopper, a frameadapted to enclose the hopper at the bottom thereof and have within itswalls a slide door, walls of said frame having shelves therein forsupporting the slide door, means above the slide door at the sidesthereof to prevent upward movement of the door, means forming anunobstructed escapement space for the material Within said walls attheir sides near the ends adjacent the fro-nt edge of the closed doorand communicating with the interior of the hopper, the said slide doorhaving its front edge beveled for a part of its length to form an upwardWedge and beveled at its extreme front side edges to form inward wedges,said wedges acting when the door moves toward closing position to pushany left-over material resting upon the shelves forward and upward intosaid escapement space whereby the said left-over material does notinterfere with the closure of the door to its final closed position.

4. In a railway car, the combination of a discharge hopper having sideand cross Walls, a slidable door, a frame having side walls and crossWalls, and adapted to enclose the ho-pper at the bottom thereof, theside walls of said frame extending outwardly beyond one hopper crosswall a suilicient distance so that the frame includes Within its connesthe door in either the closed or open position of said door, the saidside walls of the frame having shelves therein for supporting the slidedoor at the bottom thereof throughout their length, means above the cardoor to prevent upward movement of the door, an abutment on the upperside'of the door at its outer end to form a seal with a cross wall ofthe frame when the door is in closed position, a swingable sealingmember hinged from the said cross Wall of the frame and abutting theouter end of the door when closed, means engageable by the door forautomatically swinging the sealing member to open position upon movementof the door, and means for locking the said sealing member in contactwith the door whereby the door is held in its fixed closed position.

5. In a railway car for hauling dry materials in bulk and releasing thesame for discharge by gravity, the combination of a frame, a movableslide door within the frame, means for moving ythe slide door fromclosed to open positions and return, a swingable shield member attachedto the frame and having means in the path of the door engageable by thedoor in its opening movementl for automatically swinging said member,the said swinging member in its closed position forming a shield againstthe entrance of dust, air and moisture adjacent the door, and a lockingdevice including a movable cam for holding the swinging member in itsclosed position.

6. An article of manufacture adapted for application to a railway carfor hauling dry materials in bulk and releasing the same for dischargeby gravity, a frame, a movable slide door within the frame, means formoving the slidedoor from closed to open positions and return, aswinging shutter suspended from the frame and adjacent the outer edge ofthe movable door when in closed position, the said shutter beingautomatically raised to an open position by the outward movement of thedoor and closed by gravity when the slide door has been moved to closedposition whereby the shutter provides a shield against cinders, dust,air, and moisture from the load within the car.

7. As an article of manufacture adapted for application for a railwaycar for hauling dry materials in bulk and releasing the same fordischarge by gravity, a frame, a movable slide door within the frame,means for moving the slide door from closed to open positions andreturn, a swinging member suspended from the frame and automaticallymovable by the car door in its opening movement and resting inengagement with the end of the car door when closed, a wedging membercooperative with said swinging member for locking the door from outwardmovement when the door is in closed position, the said swinging memberforming a shield against cinders, dust, air, or moisture, reaching theload within the hopper through the frame opening through which themovable car door passes.

8. As an article of manufacture adapted for application to the hopper ofa railway car for hauling dry materials in bulk and releasing the samefor discharge by gravity, a frame having a slot therein, a movable slidedoor included within the confines of said frame in either its closed oropen positions, said door being movable through said slot, means formoving the slide door from closed to open position and return, a shieldsuspended from the frame adjacent said slot and automatically movable bythe slide door in its opening movement for stopping cinders, dust, air,and moisture from entering the interior of the frame through said slot,and interengaging means in the frame and door for stopping the movementof the door when in either its fully closed or fully opened position.

9. In a railway car adapted for transporting bulk cement and the like,the combination of a hopper, a frame member enclosing the hopper at thebottom thereof and having an opening therein for the discharge of theload and extending on one side of the hopper outwardly therefrom adistance sufficient to support in open position a cooperable slide cardoor of size suitable for closure of the said frame opening, the saidframe having integral bearing surfaces for supporting the door at twosides thereof in its open and closed positions, and at its front edgewhen in closed position, projections on the frame inwardly and above thedoor along the sides thereof for preventing upward movement of the door,said frame having a free unobstructed space at the closure end of thedoor whereby any material resting upon the bearing surfaces will withthe forward movement of the door move forward and upward into saidspace, means for moving the said slide car door, an abutment stopintegral with the door for engagement with the frame for stoppingmovement of the door to closed position and for forming a seal betweenthe door and frame for stopping cinders, dust, snow or moisture fromentering the hopper, a supplemental seal suspended from the frame andautomatically movable by the door in its opening movement, and a wedgingcam for contact with the supplemental seal for holding it against thedoor and the door against the frame to prevent outward movement of thesaid supplemental seal and door.

10. As an article of manufacture adapted for application to a railwaycar for transporting dry materials in bulk and releasing the same fordischarge by gravity, a frame structure attachable as a unit to thehopper and comprising walls for enclosing the lower ends of the hopperwalls and including and supporting Within its confines a movable slidedoor in both its closed and open positions, the side walls of said framestructure being rolled steel angle sections for supporting the door andthe load thereon,and having vertical flanges extending downwardly belowthe car door and reshaped at the lower edges thereof for the attachmentof a conveying re ceptacle, and having horizontal flanges at their inneredges providing bearing surfaces for the said slide door, saidhorizontal flanges having their outer edges reshaped to extend upwardlyalong the sides of the car door and parallel the hopper walls forattachment thereto, cross-tie members secured at the extreme ends of theside members adapted to limit the maximum movement of the door, anintermediate cross-tie member for supporting a hopper wall and forming astop for an abutment on the car door, said intermediate cross-tie memberand door abutment co-operating when the door is in closed position toform a seal for preventing cinders, dust, air, and moisture fromentering the hopper, and a swinging shield carried by said intermediatecross-tie member and positioned in the path of the door to beautomatically moved to inoperative position as the door is moved to openposition.

11. In a railway car adapted for transporting bulk cement and the like,the combination of a hopper, a frame vmember enclosing the hopper at thebottom thereof and including within its confines a movable slide door inboth its closed and open positions, said slide door being cooperablewith the frame, means for moving the slide door, a shield normallypreventing cinders, dirt, air and moisture from entering the hopperthrough clearances between the frame and door when the door is in closedposition, and having means engageable by the door upon its openingmovement to automatically move the shield to an open position, and meansfor locking said shield in closed position.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL.

